Make it make sense

Mike Spofford

Michael from Eagle, ID

Memo to Andy from Boscobel and the rest of II: Spoff keeps the receipts.

Just trying to keep everybody honest, and have some fun, too. Hope all the dads out there had a great Father's Day. I sure did.

Tommy from Washburn, WI

For Outsider Inbox: In Spoff's honor, what is a big Packers moment that you missed, and what were you doing when you missed it?

Ha. I'll post it for Wes's consideration. But full disclosure, I haven't missed anything on-field in the last 20 years.

Ron from Riverview, FL

RE: Steve from Phoenix. Mike, leading up to Super Bowl XLV I submitted a question to Vic asking if he would have mixed feelings about which team to cheer for and his response was, "I will be waving my terrible towel the whole game."

Another ha. I can assure you he was joking and did no such thing sitting in the stands at Jerry's World on the Packers' dime (his tenure with packers.com officially began eight days later). He knew launching "Ask Vic" would go much smoother if the Packers won that game than if they lost.

Eric from Kenosha, WI

Good day II. Since Vic is no longer here, perhaps we can mention again how good Antonio Freeman's son is at soccer. His goal was oddly reminiscent of his dad's iconic catch. Ball bouncing around, bodies crashing, and he makes the play.

Chip off the ol' block. As the youngest player on the U.S. team, Freeman is a great story even without the heritage.

Joseph from Sioux Falls, SD

Was there any attempt to get a World Cup game or games at Lambeau? That would have been awesome!

A regulation World Cup pitch doesn't fit in Lambeau. That's why the only international soccer game ever played in the stadium was a friendly.

Mark from River Falls, WI

Confirming Dave from Peshtigo's memory on John Brockington breaking a tackler's vertebra as accurate. The player was Ken Dyer of the Cincinnati Bengals, and the date was Oct. 3, 1971. As a young lad of 10, I was at Lambeau for the game. Dyer spent a long time in a Green Bay hospital after, and I sent a note to him wishing for a speedy recovery. Shortly after, I received a note on Bengals letterhead from Ken thanking me for my concern. I saved the note and have it to this day. Class act.

Of all the fan anecdotes, published and unpublished, I've read in producing this column, that's one of the very best.

Nolan from Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Mike, your mention of the Packers vs. Vikings game in Week 17 of 2012 brought back great memories. I was at that game with a buddy of mine and we had a good time around Minneapolis that weekend. I distinctly remember during that game when Mike McCarthy threw his challenge flag and Jordy Nelson picked it up and hid it in his jersey. I realize it was to avoid a penalty, but do you recall what for? Even though GB lost, it was fun to watch a scoring fest in person.

McCarthy threw his challenge flag when James Jones was ruled to have fumbled just before crossing the goal line. But the play was going to be automatically reviewed, and at the time, throwing the red flag on an automatic review triggered a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and could cancel the review (it happened to the Lions and coach Jim Schwartz on Thanksgiving that year, negating a review that would've turned an 81-yard TD run by Houston into just an 8-yard gain because the runner's knee was down). So Nelson was trying to save his coach's bacon. Fortunately, the officials ruled the review process was already underway, so the review still took place, the fumble was reversed, and Jones got the touchdown. But the Packers were still penalized 15 yards on the kickoff. The NFL changed the rule the following year so reviews couldn't be canceled due to erroneous challenge flags.

Kerry from Lakewood Ranch, FL

Please excuse the math and bear with me. The San Diego Padres just sold for $3.9 billion. The Packers are, according to Forbes, worth $6.6 billion. If the Packers aren't worth at least two, probably three, more times than the Padres then my investing calculator is malfunctioning. Am I being delusional?

That sale price on the Padres floored everyone. Forbes valued the franchise just last year at $2B, and a potential work stoppage looms in 2027. Make it make sense.

Steven from Balsam Lake, WI

The discussion about "fate-altering" moments has me intrigued. While not quite the level of the play that shall not be named, we have to wonder how different things play out if Favre does not throw that INT in OT vs the Giants in the '07 NFC Championship Game. What-if the Packers win that game, and make the Super Bowl and beat the "perfect" Patriots? The possible implications for the Packers if those results are different are fascinating to think about.

Indeed. Another one I've pondered (and then make myself stop) is Rodgers' first playoff game, the shootout in the desert in '09. What if he connects with Jennings on the deep ball on the first play of OT and the Packers win, sending Rodgers to face the bounty-hunting Saints defense that did everything in its power to batter Kurt Warner and Brett Favre into oblivion those next two games? Does something career- and franchise-altering happen in that matchup? I shudder to think.

Craig from Granville, OH

Apologies if this question has been previously addressed, but do you know if the Packers staff routinely scrub/clean player helmets before each game? I've never been a fan of baseball players who let their batting helmets accumulate a season worth of dirt/pine tar/tobacco stains/whatever; however, I think a football helmet marked up with a couple games' worth of dirt/scrapes/paint chips/whatever would be kinda bad-@ss and let other teams know they're in for a long day of contact. Go Pack!

The helmets are regularly cleaned up between games.

Jerome from Midland, MI

All the hype onLukas Van Nessright now, reminds me of Aaron Kampman. Both are from Iowa, both excelled and blossomed into impact players their third and fourth years in Green Bay. Finding the right coaches to unlock his potential and a scheme that fits him part of all players' success in the league.

Everything I've seen and heard with LVN signifies he's got the right approach and attitude, which makes him easy to root for, and hopefully a run of good health to remove that added burden from his day-to-day preparation is all he needs to emerge. What I like best about him on the field is he's an every-down player. He can be trusted against the run, and that will mean more than many understand untilMicah Parsonscomes back.

Nik from Moore, SC

I don't envy Gute. Clearly he has to payTucker Kraft, but "lowballing" him because he's coming off and injury could upset his camp and "overpaying" not knowing the injury is truly a non-factor could hamper the club financially for years. Do you see a short-term deal like they did withChristian Watsonan option? Should Gute roll the dice and pay a potential top five TE now and pray the injury heals 100%? I say roll the dice.

I don't even see it as a roll of the dice based on what we've seen of Kraft's current health, and there's no reason for Kraft to take a short-term deal anyway. As I said last week, have the courage of your convictions and don't look back.

Derek from Sheboygan, WI

Are we going to see a true competition at the kicker position in training camp? I hope this isn't going to be another instance whereTrey Smackwins the job simply because he was drafted.

If it's close, I would expect the Packers to lean toward their draft pick. But ifLucas Havrisikclearly outperforms Smack, I'd expect him to be the kicker Week 1.

Gregg from Arlington Heights, IL

Guys, I am tired from hearing about the need to trade for an established, expensive edge that would tide us over until Parsons can return. Now, the need has been escalated because Parsons' return will be delayed, reported by an inside source of course, since Parsons' recovery will be longer. Why isn't anyone reporting that the Packers already have his replacement on the roster now?Edgerrin Coopercan slide into the edge and be the guy and defensive packages can be developed around Cooper, right?

At this point I'm not assuming anything about Parsons' return timeline, but I think Cooper is one player with whom Gannon can get very creative, yes.

Alex from Fort Collins, CO

Which opponent this year will impose the most unique challenge for the cheeseheads this year?

Unique? It might be the Dolphins with Malik Willis at QB.

TK from Grafton, WI

Do the coaches invent new plays after the season starts? Or do they just bring out ones that were originally in the playbook for use against a particular opponent in a given week?

Both.

Gene from Greenville, WI

Where do you guys normally get to watch training camp during the public viewing at the end of July? I know I'll be in the bleachers watching.

We watch practices from the Hutson Center side, opposite the bleachers at Nitschke Field.

Ross from Pine Island, MN

Finally received my season tickets after almost 30 years waiting. I assure you nobody, no how gets to see the wizard (I mean Packers) from my seats without being a Packers fan. If, big if, I can't make it to a game I will give them to someone I know is a Packers fan. We need to fill Lambeau with Green and Gold. GPG

Glad to hear you've been rewarded for your long wait.

Michael from Glenview, IL

My wife, a Chicagoan born and raised, is a lifetime Sox fan. She, unfortunately, introduced me to the Sox in 2005 when they won the World Series, then became mostly unwatchable after that...but I digress. Now that they have a fun young team to watch, we've witnessed a constant occurrence in their home games. Usually around the seventh inning, the crowd begins a rousing chorus of "Green Bay sucks!" Might be in part to what Ben Johnson started, but it shows how the Pack still resides in their heads!

My understanding is that started during a crosstown Cubs-White Sox series last month and served to unify the otherwise split crowd. Now it can bust out randomly. Congratulations?

Scott from Reno, NV

All this talk of the Miz and his 15-strikeout performance. Have people forgotten Kerry Wood against the Houston Astros on May 6, 1998? 20-year-old rookie, 20 Ks. One hit on an infield "single." The Astros looked completely lost at the plate. Hands down, the most dominant performance I've ever seen.

One of my best friends we've known each other since kindergarten is a huge Cubs fan who was at the Kerry Wood game. He has that scorecard, I have the one from Miz's masterpiece. I'm not going to argue Miz was more dominant 20 Ks is the MLB record, after all but it's a fun comparison study nonetheless. Wood threw 122 pitches (84 strikes, 69%), while Miz needed just 95 (74 strikes, 78%) and never had a three-ball count the entire game. Wood got 24 swings and misses, Miz 22. Having watched the video of Wood's game, I think Miz deserves credit for fashioning his in this new ABS era. Because yes, while the Astros looked hopeless at the plate, Wood took advantage of a very generous strike zone that day. It wasn't Eric Gregg/Livan Hernandez egregious, but Wood got 30 called strikes in his game to Miz's 16. What's most impressive about both is they came against really tough lineups. The Phillies had the best record in baseball since late April until they ran into Miz, and that Astros team in '98 went on to win 102 games.

Chris from Kennesaw, GA

Mike, the bologna may stop Sept. 13, but on July 29 we can begin slicing it up, and then frying some up come Aug. 13. So we have that going for us. Which is nice.

Happy Monday.

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